A famous acupuncturist said: When you are young, you can cheat your body; when you are old, your body cheats you. We’ve all heard truisms along this vein which reflect the wisdom of a life lived. But, self-care can be a means to living longer and living better, because what’s the point of living long if you can’t be strong at the same time? My Mom, like Ben Franklin, I believe, encouraged moderation in all things. And, I think that this is a useful way to look at the big picture. Your life, and, therefore, your body and mind, and even your Qi is an accumulated collective of everything that you have experienced and been exposed to. Your lifestyle habits – diet, exercise, sleep, stress relief, hobbies, medications, relationships, expression of emotions, the ability to create, your connection to the natural world – all have profound and direct effects on your experience as a human being in this material world as well as a spiritual entity in this universe. Focus on your daily routine, the things you eat everyday, the type of exercise you do, how engaged you are in your life and your job and in this very moment as a way to change and influence the course of your trajectory. You have the control unless you choose to give it away.
This is what the ‘Acupuncture Lifestyle’ encompasses. Acupuncture needles adjust the functional energy of the human body to make it work as efficiently as it was designed. What this means is that you have the ability to aid it by nourishing your Qi or hinder it by wasting your Qi or using it all up without replenishing it. You can only cheat your body for so long before it begins to cheat you. Here’s to practicing what we all try to preach to others.